Lisbon Treaty Drives Foreign Office Out
The Lisbon Treaty has shaken the old rivalry between the Federal Chancellery and the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) about who leads Germany’s European policies.
Interestingly, after years of quarrels over the entry into force of the new treaty, it looks like the Auswärtiges Amt is now taken by surprise by the new provisions that limit its representation in two of the European Union’s top institutions.
Did the Foreign Office not carefully read and anticipate the impact of the treaty?
Firstly, unlike in the past, the Foreign Ministers of the EU member states are not invited to the meetings of the European Council anymore.
The heads of state and government usually meet four times a year in the European Council under the chairmanship of the new permanent President, Herman van Rompuy. They decide about the general direction and priorities of the Union. The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, as well as the new Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, also participate in the meetings.
The European Council’s new President, Herman van Rompuy, has been doing well since he was elected into this office last December. He seems to manage to establish as the one who will, supported by the powerful Council Secretariat headed by Pierre de Boissieu, pull the strings in the European Council in the future. With the Lisbon Treaty, the European Council has for the first time become a formal institution of the European Union.
Observers predict the European Council will play an even more dominant role in the EU in the future; and the foreign ministries will be banned from the table. This has a particular domestic impact in countries like Germany, where the Foreign Office is run by the head of the Free Democrats Guido Westerwelle, the small coalition partner of Conservative Chancellor Merkel. With the new treaty, Westerwelle lost out on major opportunities to strengthen his visibility in European policy.
Secondly, the Lisbon Treaty abandons the rotating presidency in the Foreign Affairs Council. Catherine Ashton and her team have taken over here, again putting the national foreign ministries in the back seat. Formally, the Foreign Ministers are still preparing the other Council formations’ meetings in the framework of the General Affairs Council. But this is a pretty thankless job nowadays, as most of the Councils are confident to set their own agendas.
In the case of Germany, the Federal Chancellery under Chancellor Merkel is the winner of the new treaty provisions. The Foreign Office has lost major ressources that in the past enabled it to play a crucial role in Germany’s European policies. And it does not look as if the Haus am Werderscher Markt is trying to fight this development from the very beginning: Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is simply silent on European issues these days.
Looks like an old battle has eventually been won by the Federal Chancellery. What does this mean for Germany’s European policies? berlinbrief will follow up.